TEN GRANT TIPS

Whats the point in having a great idea if you dont have any cash? You need capital to move your business from an idea to reality. One routes that oyu can use ot get the money you need is to look for a business grant. Here are some great tips to getting that grant approved.

1) Talk to your local grant agency, local council economic development officer and Business Link to see if there are any grants available in your specific area.

2) Work out exactly what you need the money for because grants wont be provided for general running costs, they will support a specific outcome for example premises, training, trademarking etc.

3) Grants are often tied to strict selection criteria such as age, gender, ethnicity, unemployment or have a specific purpose such as research and development or innovation. If your idea doesnt fit into it dont try to force it.

4) Make personal contact by phone or ideally face to face with the grants officer and dont just send in your application cold. Talk through your proposition with them to check whether your idea is suitable and it is worth applying in the first place.

5) Prepare a thorough business plan to bring with it but make sure it stands out from the crowd. Most importantly you will need to present a thought provoking vision, a passionate commitment, clear benefits and robust cash flow forecasts.

6) Know that grants are often handed out on a cyclical basis. Research upcoming deadlines and be prepared to wait several months for a decision dont expect a quick answer because it doesnt happen that way.

7) For larger amounts of funds, one grant will not usually fund ALL of the proposed costs so you will likely have to find more funding from another source.

8) Ask yourself if this business could get off the ground without a grant. Look at alternative sources of finance, such as loans, 0% credit cards, credit unions, friends and family. Funders will want to make sure that there is no chance of you moving ahead without their support.

9) Dont stop watching your business process. Its easy to get distracted by the allure of grant money and this can become the focus of your energy rather than building your business.

10) Becme steadfast because many people convince themselves that the only way to start a business is to raise large sums of money without realising there are other, less conventional routes that can be taken. Think of finding creative ways to support your start-up business until it turns profitable. The key trick here is to start small, start selling and start generating your own cash to fund your business growth.